C.G. Women’s Empowerment

NON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT: C.G. Women’s Empowerment

I am Dureti (Mimi ) Tadesse. I am the President of C.G.Women’s Empowerment (CGWE), which was established in 2012. The mission of C.G. Women’s Empowerment is to create economic self-sufficiency for women, children, and entire villages in Ethiopia’s Oromia region.

In the United States, I witnessed the achievement of women and the opportunities that are open to women. This has only fueled my passion and dedication to make a difference in the lives of women in Oromia, Ethiopia– my place of birth.

Ten years ago, Alemi Wagari was ready to commit suicide from despair and hopelessness. She was a single mother who literally owned nothing, not even a chicken. She became a CGWE beneficiary and shared that, “The mere fact of being given a heifer changed my status in my community.” Her first cow gave birth to a young female calf and provided assets and food for her family.

Alemi began to sell milk and milk products for a modest income that allowed her to send her five children to a nearby school. As the first-born female calf matured, Alemi honored her promise of passing the young heifer to another woman who was on the waiting list through the Dabaree Process.

The second-born calf was a bull which Alemi fattened and eventually sold for a considerable amount of money. She invested the money to improve her home from a dilapidated hut to one with corrugated metal sheets that protect against leaking.

Alemi is now a hopeful and proud businesswoman who has used the training provided by CGWE to learn how to run her business and save money. She enjoys a more respected status in her community. Alemi became a donor by giving her firstborn female calf (Dabaree) and now is the owner of 3 cows!

Dasse Fixe is a widow and mother of three children, raising her children by herself without any outside support. Dasse obtained a cow through the Dabaree process. It matured and gave birth to a male calf. The milk and dairy products improved her family’s nutrition.

Dasse fattened the steer (male calf) and was able to sell it. She used the money to buy materials to improve her home, and thus her social standing. She is now preparing to transfer her female calf to another woman on the waiting list. Dasse is a proud mother, who supports and sends her five children to a nearby school. Dasse says her children used donated solar lights to complete homework and improve their grades.

CGWE’s 2022 goals are to buy 60 cows ($650 a cow), drill 3-4 water wells cooperating with Columbus Rotary Clubs, advance artificial breeding efforts, create reading corners in the village library, provide training and hygiene supplies, and create sustainability through capacity building.

For more information go to our website or visit our Facebook Page. You can also email cgweafrica@gmail.com or call us at 614-441- 1020